Cure me of my loneliness
by Currie-Sauce
Summary: A romantic adventure story of Paul and Zoey. Againstshipping with minor Pearlshipping.
1. Chapter 1

**P.S. I wrote this just for fun so please don't criticize me calling me an Againstshipper. XD**

**F.Y.I: This was originally planned as a Fireredshipping but I decided to change it. (Don't ask me why) XD**

**P.S.S. I don't own Pokémon or I'd be living in Japan in a 3-storey Mansion. Lol.**

Zoey was looking out of her window at the Pokemon Center in Hearthome City.

"_Hmmm… I should be outside right now practicing for my next contest. Better get to that right away." _she silently said to herself.

She got out of the chair, silently exited her room and headed outside into the dark night for some last minute training before falling asleep.

"Just a little bit of training should help cure me of my loneliness…" she said to herself out loud.

When she stepped outside the entrance of the Pokemon Center, the harsh and cold wind welcomed her to the outdoors. Zoey ignored the 'breeze' and continued on her way to the battlefield.

"Alright then, let's get to work."

As she reached into her pocket to take out her pokeball, she noticed the solitude of the battlefield. She was the only one standing at the end of the arena when suddenly a flash of light came from her pockets and landed on the ground beside her.

"Gla…" cried her Glameow.

Zoey bent down and petted Glameow gently on the head.

"There, there… I can't be alone as long as I have you and the rest of the team right?"

"Gla-meow!" was her reply.

"*Sigh* But I still can't help but feel left out and alone… I bet Dawn is having a blast with Ash and Brock."

Glameow then gently slid her head up and down Zoey's left leg.

Zoey smiled before replying, "Alright, let's get some sleep and train tomorrow in the morning." She then took out Glameow's pokeball and returned her before heading back inside the Pokemon center to get a good night's rest.

While lying on her bed, Zoey began to think to herself.

"_Why am I feeling like this? Why am I feeling so lonesome…"_

Zoey, unaware that it was 1 in the morning, fell asleep without notice.

. . .

She woke up late in the morning and headed out onto the battlefield just like she'd said she would.

"Alright, Glameow! Come out!" she then threw her pokeball in the air and a white flash of light erupted from it spilling on the floor.

"Gla-meow!"

Zoey's Glameow then dropped onto the floor elegantly.

"Alright then Glameow, let's try your shadow claw!"

"Gla!"

Glameow then jumped up into the air and an eerie dark shadow formed on its hand. Then, Glameow aimed her shadow claw on the ground and a big crater resulted after the attack had landed.

"NO, NO! That's not what I wanted!"

"Gla?"

Glameow was obviously confused with its trainer's commands.

"Speaking of which, what did I want...?"

Zoey then collapsed on her two knees with hands gripping the sides of her head.

"Aw, this is hopeless! What's with these feelings! WHY AM I FEELING SO ALONE!" she scram out loud.

Glameow didn't know how to reply so it decided to stay silent with its head hung down.

Just then, Zoey noticed a trainer who was standing on the other battlefield; staring at her. He had a strict face and thick eyebrows. But the thing that stood out the most was his purple hair. When Zoey had made eye contact with him, he spoke, "Can you shut the hell up? I'm just about to start training here."

Zoey then started to cry. In one of the few times in her life, she had started crying. She couldn't remember the last time she had cried but it felt like centuries ago.

**. . . Change of POV . . .**

Paul had realized what he had done and decided to calm her down before starting his training session. He didn't care if the girl had kept on weeping for the rest of her life but what he did care about was his precious training time being disturbed. He walked over to her and crouched down right beside her. Knowing that yelling would only make things worse, he decided to take a more passive approach.

"Look, sorry if I offended you… I… think you're great and amazing and…"

He stopped in mid-sentence. Then he took a brief moment to reflect on himself.

"_What the hell am I saying? This isn't cool! Apologizing is for losers! At least the girl seems to have stopped crying. I'm outta here."_

He then got up and slowly walked away. After he had taken 4 steps, he was stopped by someone from behind him; hugging him. Paul's eyes were now wide open and he had an expression of shock on his face.

Paul's feelings right now were indescribable.

"_What is this feeling… I know; I'm happy. Wait, no. I'm more than happy. Blissful… I'm blissful… No, scratch that. Could it be…? I'm loved._

For the first time in his life, Paul had felt loved. Before he could speak, Zoey decided to speak first.

"Thanks…"

Paul turned around and to his own surprise, he returned the hug. He then began to think again.

"_Wait a minute… What the hell am I doing? Why am I hugging this girl!"_

And before he knew it, he had shoved Zoey down onto the ground, instantly regretting it.

Zoey then began to cry in her hands all over again. For a minute, she had actually felt loved.

Paul couldn't bare to see the girl cry. For the first time in his life, he had set aside his pride and walked over to the girl to lend a hand. Zoey raised her face, accepted the offer and lifted herself up. After she rose up, she took a step back. She had finally realized who this was; Paul, the same jerk that had insulted Ash and his friends. How could she have not noticed? She gave him a mean stare but Paul's glare was hard to match. They both found themselves in a staring contest. After a minute, Zoey relaxed her tension on her face and decided to properly introduce herself.

"I'm Zoey, you must be Paul. Remember me from Snowpoint City?"

"I don't care loser. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my training." Paul responded coldly.

He then slowly walked away in the same direction he had entered from with his hands in his pockets.

**. . . Change of POV . . .**

Zoey felt as though she had been slapped across the face. For a moment there, she had thought that "he" might've been the one to cure her loneliness, turns out he wasn't… Zoey, with her head down, decided to return to the Pokemon Center to call it a day-off. But inside the Pokemon Center, she was lying on her bed with her face buried in her pillow, crying.

. . .

"Zoey. If you open the door, we might be able to help you." Nurse Joy said.

"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" Zoey scram out.

"Zoey! Everyone at the Pokemon Center is tired of hearing you cry so could you please let us in to help you?"

"I said, I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" and with that, she threw her pillow at the door which caused a loud "thud".

Meanwhile…

Paul had been walking down the corridor of the Pokemon Center when he noticed a group of people crowding near a door. He heard a girl crying from inside the room and Nurse Joy pleading for her to stop. He decided to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Zoey! You come out of here this instant!"

"NO!"

"ZOEY! We're warning you! Come out of here before we get Officer Jenny or Chansey to open the door!"

"THEN GO AHEAD!"

Nurse Joy was about to leave the scene when Paul had stopped her.

"Let me try to get her out Nurse Joy."

"Alright, but if you fail, I'm getting Chansey."

Paul then stepped up to the door and began his conversation.

"Zoey, it's me Paul."

"WHAT DO YOU WANT!" she scram out loud.

"Look, I'm sorry for hurting your feelings. I guess I had too much pride to introduce myself."

There was no response from the other side of the door.

"And if you want, maybe we can start over; if you open the door that is." he said.

He then heard light footsteps coming from the other end of the door and finally a 'click' coming from the doorknob. The door slowly opened and Zoey revealed herself. She quickly gave Paul a hug while the group of people that were surrounding the door gave out "awws" and other cheers. When Paul and Zoey broke apart, Paul asked her, "Will you forgive me?"

"Only if you forgive me…"

"Deal" he said before quickly embracing her again.

**There we have it! The first chapter!**

**But man! This was hard to write! If you liked it, I'll make an adventure story out of it but if you didn't, I might just leave this as a one-shot. REVIEW PLEASE! **


	2. Chapter 2

The crowd (and even Nurse Joy) were now all clapping before dispersing as they let Paul and Zoey have a little time of their own. After a while, they eventually broke apart.

"Paul…?"

"Yea, Zoey?"

Zoey was silent for a minute before she spoke again.

"Would you like to travel around Sinnoh with me?"

Paul was somewhat shocked at the question but allowed her to continue.

"You could beat your Gyms while I can participate in my contests. It could work, right?"

Paul's decision wasn't difficult; he had two options to choose from. One, he could say no to his only chance at love, or two, he could say yes and give love a chance. And of course, he went with the latter.

"There's nothing I'd want more." And with that, he embraced her in a warm, friendly hug.

. . .

"Aren't you done packing!" Paul asked in a somewhat angry tone.

"Almost!" she cried out.

Both Paul and Zoey were around 3 kilometers away from their previous Pokemon Center and were on their way to Lake Valour for Zoey's Grand Festival Competition. Although Paul had his own Pokemon Championships to enter, he decided to delay his training until Zoey was finished with her own competition.

It had been almost 5 minutes since Paul had told Zoey to start packing. He knew she didn't have much to pack and this factor was REALLY starting to piss him off.

"_Damn girl… what the hell is taking her so long…"_

He decided to wait another minute before storming inside her tent that they had set up from the day before and finding out what was going on.

When a minute had passed, he went in; but instantly regretted it. Zoey was in the middle of the tent, changing. It was a good thing she had her bra on, or Zoey would've never have forgiven him.

"AHH! Paul, you pervert! Get out of here!" then she threw her jacket at him as he quickly struggled to get back outside. When he got outside, he literally collapsed on the floor, his face somewhat red from the struggling or the embarrassment.

"_Ah fuck… I'm such an idiot…" _

He waited another minute before Zoey came out of her tent with a look of anger on her face.

"Well? Care to explain?" Zoey had asked him in an irritated tone.

"Umm… well... you see…"

"Don't bother! I know what you want! And you're not going to get it today, or any other day you pervert!" and with that, Zoey stormed away from him, walking with foots stomping.

Paul felt like such a jerk now. He never wanted to intrude her privacy but now, he deeply regretted his actions. Knowing that apologizing would be useless, he decided to let her be alone for a moment before he would try to talk to her again.

To take his mind off of things, he began repacking the tent and placed it in his bag **(don't ask me how)**. That was when he had realized that Zoey had left her bag inside the tent.

"_Great, at least now I have an excuse to go talk to her."_

He picked up the bag and began walking towards the direction in which Zoey had angrily stomped off to.

Meanwhile…

"Ugh, that jerk…." Zoey said out loud to herself.

She had stomped right into the forest but she didn't care. All she wanted to do now was to be alone for a bit. To be honest, she didn't mind that Paul had looked at her. She was actually kind of aroused by it. But she had to hide those emotions from him. She knew Paul wouldn't have been interested in her in that way.

"_Or would he have been…?"_

Zoey felt bad for yelling at Paul now. She never would've wanted to make Paul feel like a jerk but because he was interfering with her privacy, she thought that had taught him a lesson.

"_Still, I shouldn't have been so mean…"_

Her thoughts had been interrupted when an Ursaring jumped out in front of her.

"URSARING!" it cried out.

As an instinct, she scram and jumped to the sides to dodge its claws. She quickly got back up.

"Alright mister, that does it." Then she began reaching inside her pockets for her pokeballs which were… gone?

"What! _Oh right, I must've left them back at the tent!"_

She was too caught up in thought that she didn't notice the Ursaring swinging its claws at her. Zoey was hit on the sides and was thrown up against a tree.

"UGH!" she yelled in pain. She placed her right hand against her left arm, she felt something liquidly; blood. For a moment, she panicked. She knew that she needed help right away but from who?

"_Maybe Paul's on his way over right now…" _

Then she began thinking to herself again.

"_No, probably not. I was too mean to him. Maybe he decided that I wanted to stay alone and left?"_

A tear was forming on the corner of her eye and not the tears of pain, but the tears of sorrow. She saw the Ursaring approach her slowly.

"_If these are the last moments of my life, I just wanted you to know Paul,"_

"I love you." she said out loud.

She closed her eyes as the Ursaring was about to strike but quickly reopened them when she heard a voice,

"Ursaring, Hammer Arm!"

Then, another Ursaring appeared out of the bushes and nailed the other one, literally blowing it away. When the wild Ursaring got up, it began running away in fear towards the opposite direction.

Zoey was relived but pain quickly overcame that relief. Her left sleeve was now drenched in blood. Then, she noticed a figure coming out of the bushes.

"Paul!" she yelled, almost joyfully.

He ran over next to her and grabbed a roll of bandages from his backpack. He gently placed it on her left arm and applied pressure. In her heart, Zoey felt relived, yet again for Paul being here for her when she had needed it.

"Are you still in pain Zoey?" he had asked.

"No, not anymore; now that you're here…" she silently said the last part. But Paul heard every word of it.

"Zoey, you don't know how worried I was when I saw your bleeding arm and the Ursaring approaching you. I never could've lived with myself if you got hurt any further."

Although to Paul, those words seemed insignificant, to Zoey, they sounded as if he was confessing to her. She was happy to know that he had cared for her, and that made her feel special.

"_No, HE makes me feel special…" _She took a moment to decided whether she would do it, or not.

"_I hope I'm not rushing it."_

"Paul, there's something I want you to know." Zoey said unexpectedly.

Paul was a little surprised at this. He had just finished wrapping the bandage around Zoey's arm and was now sitting down next to her. He was now waiting for Zoey to continue.

"Well…?" he asked.

**And CUT! XD. Sorry for the cliffhanger, I never meant for this to happen! I was just having a writer's block so I'll post up the next chapter as soon as I can.**

**Well, I'm back! Sorry to keep you waiting but here's the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, I'm back! Here's the next chapter!**

Zoey felt as if she was stuck up against a corner. _"Well, its now or never…"_

Just when Zoey was about to confess her feelings for him, Paul had stopped her by placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Listen Zoey, I can understand if you don't want to tell me something right now. I don't want to make it seem like I'm pressuring you to say something."

The words had seemed to have touched Zoey. She felt so understood and cared for. She turned around to face Paul and gave him a 'friendly' hug. He in turn, returned the hug and they held each other. That was until Paul's Ursaring came up to his trainer with a confused look. When Paul had noticed this, he instantly separated from Zoey and returned his pokemon to its ball.

"Ursaring, return!"

After he had returned Ursaring, he helped Zoey get up and soon they were back on the road. Paul decided that he would carry Zoey's backpack until they arrive at the Lake Valour Pokemon Center. Zoey was touched by the offer and just couldn't say _"Paul, I'll take the backpack."_

She then thought about what he had told her back at the tree…

"_Listen Zoey, I can understand if you don't want to tell me something right now. I don't want to make it seem like I'm pressuring you to say something."_

"_DOES THAT MEAN THAT HE KNOWS I FANCY HIM!" _she said to herself while having a shocked expression._ "I knew I was rushing it… At least it's a good thing he stopped me, or else our relationship would've been skewed."_

Paul noticed Zoey's shocked expression and curiosity got the better of him.

"Zoey, are you alright?"

Zoey snapped back into reality. "Huh? Oh, I'm fine…" she said with a somewhat sad expression.

Paul wasn't convinced. "Let's stop here for a break."

Zoey wasn't too pleased with the stop but she indeed had to agree; her arm was killing her. During the course of the day, Zoey noticed something else about Paul that she had not noticed before. He was acting a bit more… nice?

"_That's strange… I wonder who or what made him that way…"_

First the first time in his life, Paul had smiled. He gave Torterra a pat on the head and actually gave out pokemon food on plates instead of cans. He sat down in front of his pokemon and watched them eat more joyfully than they had before (most likely due to the plates). When he had finished returning the pokemon after their snacks, he walked over to Zoey, who was now resting next to a tree, and helped her get up. When Zoey had grabbed his hand to be helped up, she just couldn't let go, and neither could Paul. They felt; warm.

"_What am I doing… I should let go of Zoey's hand but… it feels so warm and content…"_

"_Why am I holding onto Paul's hand? I should let go but something's stopping me…"_

They both raised their heads and met in each other's eyes, in which they instantly got lost into.

"_I'd never thought I'd say this but she looks so beautiful…"_

"_Oh Christ… Why does Paul have to be so damn perfect…"_

They both unknowingly moved their heads closer together. They were so close that they could almost feel each other breathing. That was, until…

"Hey, Paul!" someone cried out.

When they heard the voice, they instantly separated and almost fell backwards.

"_Jeez! Why does that loser always have to get in the way of thing…"_ Paul thought to himself.

**Well… who was that 'loser'? Guess you'll find out in the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, judging by the fact that I'm hardly getting any reviews, I'm now allowing it so that you can post ****anonymous reviews now. PLEASE give me a feedback on how the story was, even if you thought it was horrible, please review telling me where I should improve or do better. And with that, thank you and enjoy the story.**

"Ash! What a surprise to see you here…" Zoey said in a somewhat frustrated tone.

"Huh? Zoey! What are you doing here? And what are you doing with Paul?" Ash asked, being the dense person he was.

"Hey ZOEY!" a girl's voice cried out.

"Oh, hi Dawn! And Brock too!" Zoey replied.

"Are you on your way to the Grand Festival too?" Dawn asked.

"Of course! I got my five ribbons, look!" Zoey then took out her ribbon case and showed it to Dawn.

"Wow! Almost looks identical to my collection!" Dawn then took out her case and showed it to Zoey.

While the girls were conversing, Paul had decided to walk away from the gathering. Ash however, noticed this and decided to talk to Paul.

"So Paul, what are you doing here?"

"That's none of your business, loser." he then walked away slowly with his hands in his pocket. Zoey however, noticed this and decided to cut her conversation with Dawn short.

"Well, I'll see you at the Grand Festival then. Later!" she then ran off leaving the gang clueless as to what had just happened.

"_Why was Zoey's left arm bandaged…"_ Dawn wondered.

Meanwhile…

"_So close…" _Paul had thought to himself.

Paul had been walking non-stop for about 2 minutes now, walking into a forest. He didn't care where he was heading to, he just wanted to get away from the commotion. He never liked talking to people and he was most likely never going to. The only person he felt comfortable talking to was Zoey, and he was inches away from kissing her…

"Paul!" someone had shouted.

Paul immediately recognized the voice, it was Zoey's.

He spun around and saw his origin of happiness. There was the girl who had changed him, in a matter of days from a mean and heartless jerk into a 'somewhat' caring person. Zoey was running up to him and he didn't know what to do, so he followed his instincts. He opened his arms and allowed Zoey to crash into him, both of them in a tight embrace. Why he was hugging her? Neither of them knew, but it sure feel good… It was evident that both of the lovers knew their feelings for each other, but neither would've had the courage to admit it. But he decided on it. He would tell her tonight at the campfire before they went to sleep.

. . .

It was just around 10 pm and both teenagers were profoundly tired. They were sitting on a log with a campfire in front of them. Zoey was cuddling Paul while he was warping his arm around her.

"_Well, now seems to be the perfect time to tell her…"_

He had turned to face her and she had done the same. Before he was about to say his words, she had smashed her lips against his. As a reaction, he had pushed her away, instantly regretting it. She was now on the hard, cold forest floor, with a look of shock and sadness in her face. Both were thinking of the same thing.

"_No, no… this can't be happening…"_

Zoey was the first to show her emotions. She had begun crying like she had done the time they had met at the Pokemon Center. Paul was heartbroken and felt like a jerk for what he had done. He had to make it up to her. Without Zoey noticing, he had stood up, walked over next to her and crouched down so that their faces were now on the same level. Zoey was still in tears but Paul still did it anyways; he had pushed his lips into hers and they kissed. Although it wasn't technically their first kiss, it sure felt like it. Zoey's feelings were now from sorrow to pure happiness. Although her eyes were still red from the crying, her content looking face had compensated for it. They both now stood up completely, but still continued their passionate kiss. Paul had his arms around Zoey's waist while she had her arms around his neck; it was the perfect first kiss. They eventually broke apart for a quick breath of air before Zoey forced her lips back onto his. They continued this process for a couple more minutes before they broke apart for the final time to sit back on the log and cuddle each other. They both felt as though the whole world was theirs....

**Did you enjoy the Againstshippy scene? Lol, I sure as hell did. Well, it's not over yet, not by a long-shot. Stay tuned for more! ****And please feel free to review, flames accepted. lol.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Nothing much to say other than to enjoy the chapter!**

**Continuing on…**

Chapter 5

"I never felt this way before Zoey, but I know for a fact that this feeling is love. And by saying that, I mean to say; I love you." He planted another quick kiss on Zoey's lips which made her face go red.

"Pau-l" Zoey said timidly, still a bit wound up from the confession and the kiss. Paul reached out for her hand and gripped it gently which made her feel a lot better. Zoey's face relaxed a little and with a gentle smile on her face, she was ready to tell him her feelings.

"I love you too Paul." she gently shifted her face up closer so that she could give Paul another passionate kiss, in which Paul permitted this time. After they broke the kiss, Zoey shifted so that she was resting her head on Paul's shoulder and fell asleep almost instantly afterwards. Paul himself was getting drowsy but he had to stay up to care for Zoey. He gently picked her up, bridal style, and placed her inside her tent; her head resting on a pillow. He wrapped a blanket around her and kissed her goodnight. He decided that he would go sleep by the campfire so that he wouldn't get too cold. When he got into position to sleep, his intentions wasn't to sleep, but to reflect; on the kiss. He tried to put it in words.

"_Amazing… no… enchanting? Wait no… warm? No… UGH!"_

He couldn't describe the feeling. He didn't know how to. The only word he used to describe it all was 'love'. And with that out of his head, he slowly drifted off to sleep…

**. . . Change of POV . . .**

**. . .**

Zoey woke up in the morning to find herself inside her tent.

"_Wait, was it all a dream?"_ she then blew out a sigh.

"But it felt so real…" she said to herself out loud.

She opened up the tent and headed outside only to find Paul making breakfast.

When he had noticed her, he greeted her. "Morning, Zoey. Had a nice sleep?" he asked with an unusual smile.

"_Maybe it wasn't a dream after all…" _To test her theory, she went up to Paul and gave him a peck on the cheek. He responded with a smile.

"I'll take that as I yes?" he asked.

"Yep." Zoey replied as she returned the smile. She went to sit down by the log near the campfire site where she had kissed Paul the other night. Just thinking of the moment made her blush.

"_I wonder what happened to the fierce and determined Zoey…"_ she asked herself in a comical way.

Just then, Paul had turned up behind her with a plate filled with scrambled eggs and bacon.

"How did you cook the bacon Paul?" she asked him as he handed Zoey her plate full of food.

"I used Magmortor to help me with breakfast." he replied as he took a seat beside Zoey.

"Oh…"

Zoey took the fork that was on her plate and tried some of the bacon. She was surprised by the taste of the bacon.

"Wow! Where did you get this bacon from?"

"You'd be surprised; I got it from Canada." Paul replied. "It's Real Canadian Bacon."

"Wow, I never knew it would taste this good." she said as she took another strip.

. . .

They had finished breakfast and packing and were now again on their way to Lake Valour for the Grand Festival. Zoey asked Paul if they could stop for a little bit of training. Paul of course, concurred. Zoey threw all of her pokeballs into the air and each one popped open, revealing her pokemon. Paul in turned, released all of his pokeballs into the air and his pokemon appeared in front of him. While his pokemon were allowed to exercise freely, Zoey was practicing with her own pokemon.

"Go Glameow! Shadow Claw!"

"Gla-MEOW!"

"Gastrodon, Mud Bomb!"

"Gas-tro!"

Glameow leap into the air while Gastrodon fired its mud ball at her. Glameow's claw turned into an eerie figure and struck the mud ball which then popped into tiny mud particles which sparkled as the sun's rays reached them. Zoey was praising her pokemon when all of the sudden, she heard clapping. She spun around and found Paul, clapping at her achievement. She ran up to him and gave him a hug, which he returned.

"Remember Zoey, I'll always be there to cheer for you. I don't care if I look bad anymore; I just want you to do well and be happy."

Zoey looked up at him and gave him a romantic kiss. Paul returned the kiss with as much love. While this was taking place, Zoey's pokemon looked staggered. They had never seen their trainer look so happy and as a result, they too were happy.

. . .

It was the end of the day. All of the pokemon were exhausted and so were the trainers. They had returned their pokemon a long time ago so Paul and Zoey were now sitting at a picnic table having dinner.

Zoey quickly finished her bowl of soup while Paul was just finishing.

"Well, better get the tent set up…"

"I'll take care of that. Why not go and relax for a bit Paul?"

"Are you sure? I mean, I could-"

"I'm sure. I want to be helpful to you know."

Paul gave a short but friendly smirk. "Yeah, whatever." He then took a stroll inside the forest.

Zoey began unpacking the gear. _"Oh what the hell… I don't even know how to work a compass so how should I know how to put back together a tent…" _She released a sigh. _"Me and my big mouth… trying to impress Paul…"_ She dropped everything onto the ground and fell on her knees. She grabbed the sides of the head and tried her best to hold back her tears. "I'm nothing but a loser…" she said to herself out loud.

Just then, someone had crouched down beside her and placed his hand on one of her shoulders. Zoey turned around and saw Paul, smiling.

"I knew you couldn't set up a tent, but let me help you." He then placed his hands over Zoey's and coordinated her over to pick up a metal bar and slowly connected it to the other ones. Zoey blushed a bit while Paul was controlling her hand movement but she observed carefully so that she could do it the next time they needed a tent.

. . .

After they had finished the tent, it had been dark. Paul went to sleep by the fire when Zoey stopped him. "Why don't you sleep in the tent, with me; but don't any ideas." She said the phrase with a serious tone but her tone changed afterwards. "Well? Are you coming?" she asked while smiling. Paul returned the smile. "Sure."

Paul packed his sleeping bag so that he would be sleeping inside the tent. When he went inside, he found Zoey lying inside her sleeping bag, waiting for him. Paul unpacked his sleeping bag and placed it beside Zoey's. He got in a Zoey instantly went to cuddle him. Paul was thrown back a little but quickly returned the cuddle. "I love you Zoey." He planted a kiss on her forehead before wrapping his arms around her. "I love you too Paul." She tilted her head up and gave Paul a tender kiss on the lips before quickly embracing him again. With their final kiss, they both drifted off soundly to sleep…

**And let's cut off here.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, nothing much to say so, LET'S CONTINUE!**

…_Zoey's Dream…_

_Zoey walked down a corridor of an unknown building… She slowly turned a corner and found a door at the end of another corridor. There was lighting inside the room because a little bit of it showed at the bottom of the door. She slowly made her way to the door and opened it. What she found inside, tore her apart. Her boyfriend, Paul, was on top of a girl, making out with her. Zoey just stood there; shocked. She then quickly slammed the door and ran down the corridor, running as fast as her legs could carry her. She was crying but she didn't care. She was heartbroken, and that's was the only thing she could feel at the moment. All of the sudden, she fell into an abyss but when her feet felt the ground, _she woke up.

Zoey woke up in such a fury that even Paul was startled and woke up. He looked at Zoey with a concern face.

"Are you ok Zoey?"

Zoey was still breathing heavily before she replied. "Yeah… I'm fine… just a bad dream…"

Paul still wasn't satisfied. "Could you tell me what it was about?" he asked.

Zoey was silent for a moment before she lowered her head. "I dreamed of you making out with another girl… I was so heartbroken, oh Paul." She fell into his arms.

Paul wrapped his arms around her and began caressing her hair. "Listen Zoey, I promise on my life that I'll never cheat on you. As long as you promise not to cheat on me either okay?"

Zoey looked up at his eyes before she gave him her reply. "I promise." she moved her head forward and sealed the promise with a kiss. Eventually, they separated and were once again lying down, in each other's embrace; sleeping.

. . .

Zoey was awoken by the sudden movement beside her. Paul was most likely getting up to make them breakfast again… She pretended to remain asleep as she heard Paul slowly rise up. But then, he bent over and planted a kiss on Zoey's cheek. Zoey couldn't hide her smile and in the end, Paul noticed that Zoey was awake.

"Sorry if I woke you up Zoey." Paul said in an apologetic tone.

"Hey, don't *yawn* worry about it." Zoey replied.

Paul simply smiled and gave Zoey a kiss on the lips before unzipping the tent to get out. But Zoey wasn't going to let him make the breakfast this time, she was going to make it for him. She grabbed Paul's wrist and forced him back inside.

"Hm? Is something wrong?"

"It's just that… I want to make breakfast for you today, is that ok?"

Paul smiled at the offer. "Of course."

. . .

"_Me and my fuc*ing big mouth again…" _Zoey said to herself.

It was true; she didn't know what to make or how to make them. When she travelled alone, she would just take a sandwich out of her bag once in a while to eat but making the dam* things was the hard part for her.

"Now… where can I get fire from…"

She searched around the place looking for fire. The problem was… how do you make fire?

"_No lighter, no matches, no flint…_ AW THIS IS HOPELESS!" she said to herself outloud. Just then, Paul appeared out of nowhere again and gave Zoey a match. She gratefully accepted it and lit the campfire. While she was doing this, Paul had gotten her a frying pan and gave it to her to use. She gratefully accepted the utensil and placed it over the fire.

"_Wait, what the hell am I suppose to cook anyways?"_

Paul stealthily cracked open an egg and placed it on the frying pan. Zoey was at first startled but quickly regained control over herself again. After a while, they poured the fried egg onto a plate and started eating.

. . .

"I can't believe we're already back on the road."

"Well, believe it or not Zoey, but we'll be arriving at Lake Valour in a few minutes."

Paul and Zoey had been walking for almost an hour now. They were close to Zoey's Grand Festival Location and the tension inside of her was building up.

"……. I CAN'T WAIT ANYMORE! I'M GOING AHEAD PAUL, TRY TO KEEP UP!" she yelled as she began to dash down the road.

"Zoey! Wait!" Paul yelled as he chased her.

. . .

Well, there they were. They were both out of breath but they had arrived, Lake Valour; the home to the Pokemon Contest Grand Festival. Paul had suggested that both he and Zoey book a hotel room before the spaces get filled up. Zoey, wanting to desperately see the arena, reluctantly agreed. Paul was right though, it was the day before the opening ceremonies began which meant that a lot of tourists and visitors were going to arrive.

…At the Hotel…

"Sorry sir. The entire hotel is booked." the attendant responded.

"Wait, what the hell do you mean the entire hotel is booked? Not even one spare room?"

"Unless you would like to sleep in the bathroom sir, I'm afraid not." the attendant responded with his British accent.

Paul was both ticked off by the fact that they had nowhere to sleep and the fact that this guy was speaking with an English accent. He was about to let rage control him until he felt a hand gently gripping his hand.

"Come on Paul, we don't need to stay at a hotel. Let's camp out for the duration of the competition." Zoey suggested.

"You know, you're probably right. Let's go."

"Good night; sir." the attendant said somewhat pompously.

Paul would've most likely punched the guy in the face had it not been for Zoey's innocent smile. The smile he adored the most.

. . .

After registering for the competition, Paul and Zoey decided to camp just outside the town limits. Again, they had settled their tent and ate dinner quietly. Zoey had a nervous look on her face, she felt was though she wasn't ready for tomorrow's events. She needed someone to be there; and there was. Paul rose up from his seat and took his dirty dish and placed it aside to clean up later. He sat next to Zoey on the picnic bench, wrapping his arms around her; cuddling her. Zoey's fears slowly started to melt away and it was gradually replaced with a beaming smile. Paul had noticed this and smiled himself. He was never the one to really smile or laugh but Zoey had changed that. The once heartless pokemon trainer had now become a caring, and thoughtful friend. Even his pokemon noticed this and began to enjoy the change. However, back to Zoey.

She felt comfortable sitting beside him; it was as if he was a big, warm and soft teddy bear. Even Glameow couldn't compare to him, Paul was something different, he was something more than she had even known. She never knew that love was so luxurious. She had always thought that love was painful, unbearable, and tragic. She had always thought that love never had happy endings; but tonight proved her wrong. Paul had made her a promise. He had promised that he would never leave her and she had promised him that she would never leave him. It wasn't just the promise that held them together, it was as if an invisible bond had tied them together, making them unwilling to separate.

She was interrupted in her thoughts when Paul had removed his arms from her and got up. He walked towards the tent and got inside without saying a word.

"_I wonder what's wrong…"_ Zoey thought to herself.

**. . . Change of POV . . .**

Paul didn't know what to do. He got inside the tent and zipped it shut behind him. He was confused. He obviously loved Zoey but there was also someone else involved…

**Haha! Let's cut off here.**


	7. Chapter 7

**And we're back. Let's continue our story…**

Paul slowly took out a picture from his bag inside the tent. The picture had two people in it, cuddling each other; one was Paul while the other was a girl. Also in the picture, was Paul's Turtwig. The girl's name was Lea. She had light green hair, and brown eyes but the feature on the picture that stood out the most was her smile. And yes, Paul had thought that her smile was beautiful too; and maybe even more than Zoey's…

"_No, I gave Zoey my word. I won't leave her for anything… Not even for her…"_

Just then, Zoey had started to unzip the tent and Paul had quickly hidden the pictured back inside his bag. Zoey opened the flap of the tent and came in.

"Hey Paul… Is something wrong?" Zoey asked as she took a seat beside him.

Paul ignored her question and began to straighten out his sleeping bag with a big frown. Instead of Zoey being angry at Paul for ignoring her question, she became more concerned.

"Paul… you know you can tell me anything right…?"

Paul gave out a sigh before he turned around to face Zoey.

"Alright, I'll tell you what's been bothering me IF, you promise not to get upset."

Zoey was a confused at his request but decided to go along with it.

"Alright, I promise." she said while looking into his eyes.

"Let me see… it goes way back…" Paul started.

**Sorry to cut you off short there. I'll be posting the story between Paul and Lea in the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright then, let's continue our story!**

_Flashback (4 years ago) – __**Paul is aged 11**_

"_Come on Paul! Hurry up!" Lea called out._

"_I'm coming!" Paul had yelled after her._

_Paul and Lea were almost at the Veilstone Regional Park. There, they would play as usual; with their pokemon of course._

"_Go! Turtwig!" Lea cried out as she threw a pokeball into the air. Once the pokeball opened, out came the grass-turtle pokemon._

"_TURTWIG!" it cried out happily._

"_Come on Paul! Bet you can't catch me!" Lea yelled as she started to sprint away._

"_Hey! No fair, you got a head start!" Paul yelled jokingly as he began to chase her while their Pokemon followed closely behind._

_For the rest of the afternoon, they either played tag or rested on the grassy lawn to take a break. This was back when Paul was still caring and nice to everyone. He would always put people and pokemon ahead of him and treat them equally with respect. When the sun was setting, Lea called Paul over to a bench to watch the sunset together. As they both sat on a bench, Lea had pulled something out of her pocket._

"_Here, let's take a picture of us sitting on this bench." Lea suggested. Then she took a look at her Turtwig. "And also with Turtwig of course." she said giving a wink to Turtwig._

"_That a good idea, I'll go over and place the camera on that stone railing."_

_Paul got up and did as he said he would. He had set the camera on auto-take in order to take a picture after he had settled._

"_Alright… There! Set!"_

"_Come on Paul! Hurry!" Lea called out impatiently._

"_Coming! We have 10 seconds to get into our places!"_

_Paul had taken a seat beside Lea but to his surprise, she had cuddled him. Without thinking, he had cuddled her back while Turtwig jumped in front of the bench giving a smile. The 'snap' from the camera was heard and the trio then relaxed. To both their surprises, Paul and Lea were both blushing. That was when Lea saw the sun slowly starting to go down so that was when she swooped in and kissed Paul on the lips._

_**Back to present for a moment…**_

"Wait, so you kissed HER!" Zoey asked with an upset tone.

"Yeah but that was before I met you. Let me finish Zoey." Paul said before he continued.

_**Now back to the previous scene…**_

_Paul was absolutely flabbergasted by the kiss and so he pushed Lea off the bench. Lea was on the ground, shocked. She thought that Paul had loved her, she wanted to check._

"_Paul…" Lea said while looking at the ground. "Do you love me?"_

"_No, well- I mean maybe. Wait… no that's not it…"_

"_So you don't love me Paul! After all that we've been though! I HATE YOU PAUL! I NEVER LOVED YOU EITHER!" Lea screamed at him before sprinting away towards the opposite direction._

"_LEA! WAIT!" Paul had cried before he started to chase after her. Turtwig was obviously very distressed by its trainer's emotions but he followed closely behind Paul._

_**. . . Change of POV . . .**_

"_NO! HOW COULD HE!" was all that was going through Lea's mind. She was filled with hatred; hatred of Paul for rejecting her._

"_That idiot…"_

_She had been rubbing her teary eyes with her arm that she didn't notice that she was J-walking across a sidewalk. Before she realized it, it had been too late. A car had honked its horn before running into Lea, throwing her a few feet backwards._

_The pain is felt now wasn't nearly as painful as what she felt from the inside._

"_I guess it'll be all over soon…" she thought to herself. "The truth is Paul… even though you might not love me; I'll still love you without a doubt always. Maybe we might see each other again… I hope you'll forgive me then…"she paused for a moment and realized that the man was out of his car and on a cell phone; most likely calling 9-1-1. "If I'm going to die tonight, I just want you to know Paul," _"I love you." _She spoke the words out loud, just barely making them a whisper. And with those last words, her mind drifted away slowly…_

_**. . . Change of POV . . .**_

"_LEA!" Paul cried out. The girl was nowhere to be found. When Paul heard the sirens from the ambulances, his heart raced. Somehow, he already knew who was in trouble. He raced towards the sound of the ambulances; unaware of what he was going to find. When he had arrived at the scene, he couldn't bare the site of his oldest-childhood friend; dead on the streets. His eyes were full of fear and sadness. 'No…No… this is just a bad dream…" Paul collapsed to his knees on the ground. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a man with two police officers; talking. "Officers, it was a complete accident. I am deeply sorry, I did not mean for this to happen. And please believe me, the girl was J-walking when I accidently bumped into her." The officers were not fully convinced but had to believe the man. "Did she say anything sir?" one of the officers asked. "No officers, nothing at all." And with that, they asked the man for his name and address and then they parted ways. __Unfortunately for Paul, he didn't get to hear Lea's last words so his spirit was still filled with that hatred for everything, and everyone. He never wanted Lea to die like this. He blamed it on everything he saw, even Lea's own Turtwig. But most of all, he blamed it on himself. With that grief he no longer loved pokemon, neither did he make any new friends, fearing the pain to bear when one leaves or dies. After Lea's funeral, Paul had decided to take Turtwig under his care. Although he gave Turtwig the same treatment as his other pokemon, he was a little more lax with it came to him. He wasn't cruel hearted or mean, he was just afraid. But Zoey had changed that…_

_End of Flashback_

"Oh…" Zoey said with a concerned voice. "I'm sorry to hear about your friend Paul…"

"It's all my fault… I was the one that rejected her. I was the one that made her run away. I was the ONE THAT KILLED HER!" and for the first time since 4 years, he had started to cry. Zoey didn't know that Lea meant that much to him. Of course, one side of her was jealous but the other side was concerned. Not knowing what to say, Zoey gave Paul and friendly hug in which he collapsed into. Zoey slowly started to rub his back which made Paul feel a lot better.

"You know, she'll always be waiting for you." She gave a quick smile before continuing on. "And I'm sure she will wait as long as she has to, to meet you again. For now, let's go to sleep Paul."

"Alright Zoey… Thanks for understanding."

"Hey, we both love each other right?"

"That's an undeniable fact. Although I loved Lea maybe more than as a regular friend, I'll always love you with all my heart Zoey." Paul said as he gave her an honest smile. Zoey went to zip up the tent before getting inside of her sleeping bag.

"I'm going to need some sleep if I'm going to participate tomorrow. Goodnight Paul. Sweet dreams."

"You too Zoey… _and you too Lea…"_ Paul then drifted off to sleep.

…Paul's Dream…

Paul woke up in a brightly lit room.

"Where am I?" he asked himself.

"Hey Paul…" a voice said behind him. Paul quickly spun around and saw a ghostly image of Lea.

"Lea? But… how?" Paul was confused… but happy. He ran over to her to give her a hug in which he actually felt. She returned the hug before facing him eye to eye.

"So, I see you met another girl…" Lea started.

"Yeah…" Paul said somewhat ashamedly. "Look Lea, it's my fault that you died that night. I never should've treated you like that. I'm sorry." He swung his head down when he apologized. Lea just simply smiled at this.

"No Paul. It wasn't your fault. It's technically not really anyone's fault other than mine for being careless."

"But I-"

"Stop Paul. There's other things I want to tell you and I don't have much time." Lea replied.

"I'm glad you met Zoey. She's really making you happy, and I can feel that and do you know why?" Lea took a quick pause before continuing. "Because a part of me will always be in your heart Paul. You can never forget the ones you truly loved and they will always be with you forever, like me." Lea replied happily. "Don't let the past experiences let you down. Continue your relationship with Zoey. I'm certain that whatever route you take in life with her, I'll always be happy for you. But I want you to remember, I'll always be with you every step of the way IF you need my help. Alright?"

Paul had to pause for a moment to allow all of that to sink in. He couldn't believe it. The girl that first loved him said it was ok for him to love someone else. Paul felt that a lot of weight had been lifted off his chest. He was glad that he had this dream, he was glad that he met a girl such as Lea.

"Back when the car hit me, the driver claimed that I didn't say anything, but I did Paul. My last words on earth were I love you. And that you directed to you Paul, because I'll always love you forever, whatever happens." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek making Paul blush. "I have to go now. I hope you'll be happy with Zoey. I was really distressed when I saw how heartless you had become. I tried to visit you but your heart was always closed. But now that's all changed, thanks to Zoey. Give her my regards and I'll see you again sometime!" she then dissolved into the air leaving Paul utterly speechless.

. . .

Paul woke up in the morning and found Zoey out of bed. He saw her outside making breakfast for him. _"I'll never forget you Lea. Never…"_ he then placed a smile on his face before walking out the tent.

**Whew, that chapter must've been a story of its own! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it cause I really enjoyed writing about it. Thank you Emmi92 for the OC and stay tuned for future chapters!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Alright then, we continue on!**

"Hey Paul!" Zoey greeted her boyfriend.

"Morning Zoey." Paul greeted back.

Today was going to be one of Zoey's most important days. The first rounds of the pokemon Grand Festival were going to take place, and Zoey felt as confident as ever.

"I cooked breakfast today, hope you'll enjoy it."

"But shouldn't I have made our breakfast today? I mean after all, it's an important day for you."

Zoey placed the frying pan aside for a moment to face Paul.

"Don't worry about it Paul. I mean after all, you're going to be cheering for me on the stands right?" Zoey poured the scrambled eggs onto a plate and handed it to Paul; who gratefully accepted it.

"Where's yours?" Paul asked trying to change the topic. Paul had thought about the idea of him cheering for Zoey. _'I wouldn't want people like Ash to think I'm soft…'_ But another side of Paul was thinking differently. _'But then again, I wouldn't want to let Zoey down…'_ These two conflicting factors were bothering Paul, and Zoey had taken notice of this.

"Is something bothering you Paul?" she asked while making some scrambled eggs herself.

"Uh, it's nothing; really." Paul had replied. Zoey still wasn't satisfied. She patted the seat next to her to motion Paul to sit down beside her. He complied and they both ate together. While they were eating, Zoey decided to bring up the topic again.

"I know you're hiding something Paul." she asked with a somewhat accusative tone.

Paul pretended not to hear; this made Zoey very mad but however, she kept her anger inside of her. So instead, she rested her right hand on Paul's left hand. Paul was surprised but did not withdraw. He was now face to face with Zoey. "Please Paul, tell me what's wrong."

Paul gave out a sigh before abiding. "Alright, but don't get upset about anything I tell you okay?" Zoey nodded her head in response.

"Believe me when I say this, I would cheer for you, if my pride wasn't on the line."

Zoey rolled her eyes. "So, just because your 'pride' is on the line, you wouldn't bother cheering for your girlfriend?" Zoey asked with an irritated tone.

"Hey, calm down. You promised you wouldn't get upset."

Paul gave Zoey a moment to settle down. He knew he couldn't end the conversation like this so he decided that he would have to put aside his pride for the time being.

"And now because we had this conversation, I've made my decision; I'll be amongst the front crowd cheering the loudest when you come on stage. And that's a promise."

"Aw, Paul! You're so sweet!" Zoey said as she gave him a big smile. Paul returned the smile and they went on to finish their breakfasts.

. . .

After visiting the Pokemon Center for some final check-ups, Paul and Zoey both headed to the stadium where the contests were going to be held. They still had an hour left before the opening ceremonies started so they decided to tour the arena. Zoey literally dragged Paul all over the place to sight-see and observe. Paul had a hard time keeping up; until they came face to face with another group of trainers…

**Well… let's cut it off here.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Back to our Story!**

"Hey Paul…" Ash said in a confused tone.

"Hi Ash!" Zoey replied for her boyfriend.

"Zoey! It's so good to see you!" Dawn replied.

"Hi Dawn. Guess you're here to do some final preparations before the contests?"

"Actually, we were just taking a break from our training and just came here to visit before the contests started.

Just then, the PA system came online. 'Would all coordinators signed up for the Grand Festival please report to the auditorium for attendance, thank you.'

"I guess we'd better get going." Dawn suggested.

"Yea, see you guys!" Zoey replied as she tagged along with Dawn to the auditorium.

In the midst of their conversation and the PA announcement, Paul had managed to slip away unnoticed…

"Hey, where's Paul?" Ash asked.

"I don't know… Oh well, we'd better take our seats if there's going to be any left."

"Great, let's go!"

. . .

"So Zoey…" Dawn started.

"Hm?"

"Is there something going on between you and Paul?" Dawn asked.

"Huh…?"

Zoey didn't know how to answer the question. If she told her that she and Paul were boyfriend and girlfriend, Dawn wouldn't look at her the same way anymore. She decided to lie when Dawn spoke up again.

"Oops! Sorry for asking a personal question. I didn't mean any harm."

Zoey was relieved and gave her a smile. "Hey, don't worry about it. No harm done."

. . .

Ash and Brock were walking down a corridor to the main arena to get their seats.

"Hey, Brock?" Ash asked.

"What's up Ash?"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Brock was confused by this question.

"If I could read your mind then 'yes'"

Ash ignored the joke and continued on with his question.

"No I mean, do you think Paul and Zoey are dating?"

Brock was more shocked by this question than the first one.

"Huh? What makes you think like that Ash?"

As they were walking, they noticed a purple haired boy walking by with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey Paul!" Ash greeted with his usual optimism.

Paul lifted his head to face his rival.

"What do you want loser?"

Ash wasn't taken back at the response.

"Are you and Zoey going out?"

However this time, Paul was the one taken back; way back.

"Ash, you're not supposed to ask it like that…" Brock whispered into his ear.

"Oh, then how do you ask?" he questioned.

"Allow me. Hi Pau-"

Paul was nowhere to be found.

"That's strange. I wonder where he ran off to…"

"Funny, he's not the sort to disappear like that either…" Ash said in reply.

"Since when do you know about people Ash?" Brock asked him jokingly.

"Ever since I've been dating -" Ash stopped at mid-sentence, almost revealing his secret.

Brock was thrown back by the response "What was that Ash?"

Ash had to come up with something quick…

"Ever since I've been da… daydreaming!"

Brock thought that he'd misunderstood and was disappointed by the answer.

"Hey Brock, is that Officer Jenny?" Ash then pointed over at the opposite direction where a police officer with a blue uniform was standing.

"OH! OFFICER JENNY!" Brock's eyes then turned into a cartoony-heart shape before running over to her.

"Whew… what a relief…"

Ash's true secret was that he was dating Dawn. They had confessed their love for each other some time ago and he wanted to keep their relationship as a secret. If it wasn't such a big deal, everyone Ash knew would've already known. But they were afraid it might turn ugly somehow and decided to keep it as a secret until they thought that it was okay for people to know. **Other than that side-note, let's get back to our ****AGAINSTSHIPPING**** story.**

. . .

Paul had to get away. He was afraid that if Ash had figured out, he wouldn't treat him like a rival anymore. Of course, he wasn't ashamed or anything about him and Zoey being together, it was just the concept of it all that made Paul worry. The 'girlfriend and boyfriend' concept wasn't what was considered "tough". He could almost imagine people saying, _"That guy over there wastes his time kissing girls than training."_ or _"You don't belong here! Run back to your girlfriend!"_ The thought was killing him; that was until the PA started again. "Notice, the contests will start in 10 minutes. Thank you." He had two choices: one, to go to the front row of seats, cheer for Zoey and lose all his pride; or two, walk away, explain everything to Zoey afterwards and still have his pride. Paul wasn't stupid, but neither was he dishonorable. He had to make the right choice…

**Well, I'm stumped. XD. I'll post something up as soon as I can.**


	11. Chapter 11

**And we're back!**

This was it. Paul was going to make a fool of himself, for Zoey. Everything he'd done to this point was for her; taking care of the pokemon more nicely, having a more optimistic aura, but most importantly, he learned to subside his pride when he was around her. As long as he had her with him, it didn't matter what he did, as long as she was still with him…

. . .

This was it. Zoey was second last up for the performance rounds; she was nervous. Dawn was chosen to go last and she seemed as confident as ever. Zoey had wished that she was a bit more like Dawn; optimistic and confident.

"Zoey's, its your turn to go up." Dawn told her.

Zoey was so caught up at the moment that she didn't notice Dawn speaking until she waved a hand in front of her face. "Hello? Earth to Zoey? Better get up onto the stage quick or you might miss your turn!"

"Huh? Oh right! Thanks for the reminder Dawn!" Zoey said as she darted across the corridor to the backstage.

. . .

Paul was up at the front row of the seats. He had just barely managed to find a seat amongst the crowd but a part of him wasn't glad that he had found the seat. _"It would've made a good excuse not to cheer for her…"_ Paul began to rethink his thoughts. _"No, I'm doing this for Zoey, it's for a good cause…"_ He then straightened his head and waited for Zoey.

_**. . . Change of POV . . .**_

"Alright… It's now or never…"

"And here's our next contestant, Zoey!"

Zoey emerged out of the darkness of the backstage and ran down the corridor of the stage.

"Go! Gastrodon!" Zoey then threw a pokeball into the air and Gastrodon literally came spilling out along with droplets of water from the ball capsule.

"Mud Bomb! And follow it up with Water Pulse!"

Gastrodon did as it was told and when the Water Pulse collided with the Mud Bomb, beautiful water particles, mixed with the mud, formed. The crowd roared but soon fell quite, waiting for Zoey to show off her next performance.

Zoey examined the scene around her. There were people, possibly hundreds, maybe even a thousand. But she couldn't find the one she was looking for, not anywhere in the crowd; until…

"Yea! Go get 'em Zoey!" someone yelled out of the crowd.

Zoey had realized who it was and instantly turned towards the voice; it was Paul. He saw him waving and smiled back at him. People all around him were staring at him but he didn't seem to mind it. Gaining back her confidence, she quickly resumed her performance.

"Alright Gastrodon, let's wrap this up. Water Pulse then follow it up with Hidden Power!"

Gastrodon first launched its Water Pulse into the air before jumping into it. While inside the Pulse, Gastrodon quickly built up its energy to launch a Hidden Power inside the Water Pulse. When Gastrodon had launched its second attack, the Water Pulse blew up, making bright shiny sparkles appear in the air, almost like fireworks; only with water.

Gastrodon then leapt down onto the floor and landed elegantly. Within the crowd, everyone was either cheering or clapping; but Paul was doing both. Zoey found him again and gave him a friendly smile before walking off the stage.

. . .

Zoey was waiting inside the coordinator's lounge; waiting for Paul.

"Hey! You did great today!" someone said.

Zoey ran up to the person and gave him a big hug; not bothering to take a closer look at his features.

"Thanks! I owe it to you too for cheering for me!" Zoey said before she kissed the person without looking at him. The kiss was broken when the person had pushed her away, throwing her onto the floor. Zoey was shocked but then she took a look at the person's face; it wasn't Paul…

**Haha! I love a cliffhanger! I'll post the next one up as soon as I can.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Well, I hope you're not ticked off at me for leaving you hanging. XD. But let's continue…**

Zoey took a look at the person's face. It wasn't Paul, it was Ash.

"What the hell was that for Zoey? I know I complimented you but you didn't have to go that far!"

Zoey was in a state of both shock and embarrassment. It wasn't the shock that bothered her, it was the humiliation. By now, everyone who was near the two stared at them; but mostly at Zoey.

"Hey Ash, Zoey. What's going on here?" Dawn had made her way past the staring people and came up to the two.

"Uh, it's nothing Dawn… I'm just going to head outside for a walk…" Ash then jolted out of the room and ran down the corridor; half embarrassed himself.

"Ash! Wait!" Dawn chased after Ash.

"_What did I do now…"_ Zoey thought to herself as she made past the horde of people crowding her; leaving the room and heading to the reception area (main lobby).

. . .

Zoey felt utterly humiliated. She never meant to have kissed Ash. It was an accident. She mistook him for Paul and right now, she really wanted him to be with her…

"Hey Zoey!" someone cried in a distance.

Zoey lifted her head to reveal her tears. In the distance, she saw Paul, running towards her past the crowds of people. When he finally reached her, he noticed her tears and gave her a hug.

"Hey, hey… no need to cry. Just tell me what happened."

Zoey told him everything; even the part when she had accidently kissed Ash. She thought Paul would've been mad at her but what happened was the exact opposite of what she had thought. Paul gave her a reassuring smile before embracing her again.

"Hey, it was an accident; like you said. And I know you'll never leave me because we made each other that promise; right?"

"Yeah… *sniff* I'm sorry Paul…"

"There's no need to be sorry. I'm sorry I didn't get to you first…" now Paul was the one feeling down.

Zoey placed her hands on his cheek before giving him a quick peck on the lips. She smiled and she felt glad that she had made Paul smile back. She took his hand and stood up; taking him with her outside for a bit of fresh air before the judge's made their announcements.

. . .

Paul said that he would take Gastrodon to the Pokemon Center to get it rested while Zoey told him that she would be waiting right here for him; in the middle of the local park. Zoey was waiting patiently on a bench when she heard voices from behind her. She got up and decided to check out the voices…

When she got close enough, she saw a clearing and two people in it: Ash and Dawn.

"So you kissed her!" Dawn asked.

"NO! She kissed me!" Ash replied.

"*Sigh* then you didn't mean to kiss Zoey right?"

"Of course not! I just compliment her! Believe me!"

Zoey decided to stay back and eavesdrop on the conversation.

Dawn looked Ash start into the eyes before relaxing.

"Alright Ash… I forgive you…"

Ash was silent for a moment before responding.

"Thanks Dawn…" he then moved his head closer to hers and kissed her on the lips. Dawn wrapped her arms around Ash while he slid his arms around her waist. They were completely lost in the kiss and that gave Zoey a moment to get away unnoticed; until she stepped on a twig.

Ash and Dawn instantly broke the kiss and turned towards the direction of the noise.

"Who's there!" Ash asked.

Zoey knew that she was busted but made a run for it.

"HEY! STOP!" Ash yelled behind her.

Zoey was almost at the tree-line and decided to play as an innocent bystander. She quickly made her way back to the bench and took a seat; fiddling with her fingers. Ash ran up behind her but didn't take notice of her until he had stopped.

"Zoey?" Ash asked.

"Hey Ash…"

"Listen Zoey, I'm sorry I overreacted and I pushed you onto the floor."

"Don't be sorry Ash, I was the one who kissed you."

"Hey Zoey; I was wondering about this since the moment you kissed me, why did you do it?" Ash asked.

Zoey had nowhere to run now. She either had to think of something quick or tell him the truth about her relationship with Paul.

"Well I –" Zoey was interrupted when Dawn came up behind them. She saw the way Ash was talking to Zoey and thought that they were flirting with each other.

"HA! Caught Red Handed Ash Ketchum! You have a lot of explaining to do…"

"NO DAWN! It wasn't like that! We were just –"

"Apologizing to each other about that incident." Zoey finished for him.

"Oh, I get it… Hehe, sorry for jumping to conclusions…" Dawn said while scratching the back of her head.

"Hey, no need to worry right Dawn?" Ash said to Dawn. She blushed but tried her best to hide it. Ash and Dawn walked off after saying their good-byes to Zoey; which left her all alone. She dreaded the feeling ever since the time when she started her journey alone. The feeling existed around her, as if it was attached to her and wouldn't come off whatever she had done. That was why she had caught four pokemon right off the bat. She caught Shellos later on but even then, she felt that something was missing. That was when Paul had filled in the void. _"Speaking of Paul, here he comes right now."_

"Hey Zoey. I dropped off Gastrodon at the Pokemon Center and the reason I didn't come back sooner was because of this…" he then reached into his pocket to pull out something…

**What could the item be? Let's stop here. XD.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Now let's continue!**

Paul reached into his pocket and pulled out a ball capsule; a pink one. Zoey gasped at the sight.

"But Paul… how did you manage to get one? I heard they're really expensive and –"

Zoey was stopped in mid-sentence when Paul had kissed her. She was shocked yet, happy. When they broke the kiss, Paul placed the empty ball capsule onto Zoey's hand.

"Nothing's too expensive for you Zoey…"

Zoey, with tears of joy in her eyes, hugged Paul, almost tackling him to the ground. When Paul had regained his footing, he slipped his arms around Zoey to return the hug. Zoey was in pure bliss for mainly two reasons: one for the ball capsule she had gotten, and two: for Paul's sympathy and kindness towards her. When they broke apart, Paul took Zoey's hand and they walked back to the Stadium to find out the winners of the performance round…

**. . .**

"And here are the winners!" the MC announced. 64 pictures flashed across the screen of the stadium. All around, people were screaming like mad for the results and accomplishments of the coordinators. There were over 200 competitors at the start of the Grand Festival but now only 64 remained. And among those 64, Zoey was there; somewhere near the middle of the screen.

"Yes! I made it Paul! I made it!" she then ran into Paul to give him a hug. He of course, returned the hug before Zoey broke apart to see the rest of the competitors.

"Hey look… Dawn's among the 64 that were chosen…"

Through Paul's eyes, Zoey looked worried. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll wipe the floor with her." He took another look on Zoey's face. She seemed a lot more relaxed now. "I'll help you train for your upcoming matches. They start tomorrow right?"

"That's right." Zoey announced.

"Better get started right away then, come on! Let's go!" He took Zoey's hand and they both ran out of the reception lobby and headed outside to train.

. . .

Paul and Zoey were both at their campsite to train; with each other of course.

**We'll skip the training part because I really don't feel like writing about it. XD. **

It was getting dark and Paul wanted to set up the tent before sundown.

"Whew, want to call it a day Zoey?" he asked in a tired voice.

"Sure *huff* I'm a little tried myself too." They both for some reason laughed before recalling their pokemons.

"I'll go drop them off at the Center. Here's keep Torterra just in case. He still has some energy left." He threw Zoey the pokeball which contained Torterra.

"Actually, can I come with you Paul?"

"Well, I guess. Let's go."

Zoey excitedly caught up and began their excursion to the main city. They were about a 2 mile hike from the edge of the town so they decided to walk all the way instead of hurrying.

When they had finally arrived at the Pokemon Center, they dropped off all of their pokemon except for Torterra; whom they decided to keep in the case of an attack. The hike back to the campsite was a quite one. The serene environment was interrupted when a wild Zangoose appeared out of nowhere with an angry look on its face.

"ZANGOOSE!" it roared out.

The two trainer both took a step backwards.

"Whoa! What's its problem?" Paul had inquired. But before he could've done anything else, the wild pokemon had leapt for Zoey.

"Ahh!" Zoey screamed.

"Look out!" Paul pushed Zoey away and while she fell on the ground unharmed, Paul had taken a blow on his left arm. "Ugh!" he fell backwards landing on his back. He got up slightly and quickly reached into his pockets for his pokeballs. _"Dammit…"_ Paul had realized that they were all gone. He was about to submit to death when a flash appeared behind the Zangoose.

"TOR-TERRA!" the continent pokemon roared.

The Zangoose wasn't surprised by the pokemon nor did it back down to the challenge. He went for Torterra straight on with a Crush Claw but Torterra had withstood the attack.

"Torterra! Frenzy Plant!" Paul yelled.

Torterra did as it was told to do and the Zangoose was wiped into the air.

"Blow it away with Leaf Storm!"

Torterra again did as he was told to do and the Zangoose literally went flying off.

"Thanks Torterra. Return." Zoey said as she recalled Paul's Torterra before running over to him.

"Paul! Are you alright?"

Paul had gripped his arm to try stop the bleeding but it didn't stop.

"I'll… be alright… More importantly, are you ok Zoey?"

Zoey took her long-sleeved shirt and ripped a piece of cloth off.

"Zoey, you don't have to do thi-"

"It's ok Paul." Zoey said while warping the article around his arm. "And yes, I have to do this. I'd do it for anyone but especially for my hero." Zoey then tighten the clothing from her shirt and helped Paul get up.

"We should head over to the campsite, we have more supplies there."

"Thanks Zoey..." he managed to say.

"Hey, don't mention it. This is for the time you helped me when that Ursaring attacked me. And plus, you saved me back there, so I guess I still owe you one."

Paul had thought over the act that he had committed. A couple of weeks ago, he never would've done that for anyone; not even for Reggie. But now, something had changed inside of him; Zoey had changed him.

When they had gotten to the campsite, the cloth that Zoey had used was now soaked in blood. She took Paul's shirt off and with the bandage that she had gotten from their emergency supplies, she wrapped it around Paul's wounds; covering it completely.

"I'm just going to get us some water to drink."

"Thanks again Zoey…"

"Hey, what did I say before?" she quickly gave him a peck on the lips before she left to get water for them to drink. Paul got off the stump that he had been sitting on and took a seat on the grass to reflect on himself.

"_Wow… I've never been treated like this before. I wonder if this is how being cared for feels like."_

Paul had taken another look at his injured arm. It had bled pretty badly but it wasn't anything fatal. He then thought about why he had risked his own life to save Zoey. _"Maybe I did it because I love her… would I have done that for another person…?"_

Paul's mind snapped back into reality when Zoey came back with two bottles of pure water.

"Here you go Paul." She handed him a bottle of water before taking a seat next to him. They both decided to relax a bit before going to sleep so Zoey had cuddled up next to her boyfriend. Zoey was on Paul's injured side so he couldn't wrap his arms around her; but she didn't mind. Just having Paul next to her was enough.

"Paul?"

"Yeah Zoey?"

"…Thanks for cheering me on back at the stadium. It really meant a lot to me."

Paul paused for a moment to think again. He had realized what he had done and in his guts, he knew that he had made the right decision. He took a look at Zoey one last time; she glanced back at him too. For a moment, they just stayed liked that; staring into each other's eyes, getting lost in them. They hadn't fully realized it, but their faces were getting ever so closer to each other's. Eventually, their lips met and the two couples finally enclosed themselves in a kiss. They both moved closer to each other so that Paul's hands were cupping Zoey's head while her arms and hands were on his chest. Every so often, one of them would tilt their heads slightly, but the other mirrored the motion. Eventually, they broke apart but Zoey still hung onto Paul to show her compassion for him. He in turn just relaxed; mainly due to his wounded arm. After a minute later, Paul stood up and Zoey epitomized (followed) Paul's actions. They walked back together to their tent and went inside to get some sleep for tomorrow's big competition.

**And… cut.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Ok, let's get started.**

Zoey woke up in an unsteadily manner. She didn't find Paul next to her so she probably thought that he was out right now making them both breakfast. She was about to get up when she saw a note on Paul's sleeping bag along with a pokeball. She obviously picked up the note and read its contents.

Went to go fetch the pokemon, I left Torterra with u. I'll be back soon.

With Love,

Paul.

She folded back the note and picked up the pokeball. She placed Torterra in her pocket and headed outside. Outside, the warm morning sun welcomed her follow by a couple of chirrups from the wild Starleys. She smiled at the sight before heading over to the campfire to start cooking their meals.

_**. . . Change of POV . . .**_

Paul was taking a rather long hike back to the Pokemon Center. _"Whew… Maybe next time we should arrive earlier for these Grand Festivals…"_ When Paul had finally reached the edge of town, he slowly but coolly walked the rest of the way to the Pokemon Center. When the sliding doors opened, he was faced with a familiar sight…

"Hey Paul!" Ash yelled out in his enthusiastic voice.

Paul ignored the greeting and continued walking towards the counter where Nurse Joy was. He was interrupted when Brock had stepped in the way.

"OH NURSE JOY!" he said before taking a knee in front of her.

Then, his eyes began to sparkle and hair turned shiny. "I'm going to need a cure Nurse Joy… Cure me of my loneliness-"

"CRO-GUNK!" said the frog pokemon before it had stabbed Brock in the ass with its poison jab.

"Ugh, I'm going to need a different cure before that one…" Brock then fell on the floor; stunned.

"Cro-cro-cro-cro…" Crogunk had said before dragging Brock off.

Paul could finally talk to Nurse Joy now.

"Nurse Joy, I'm going to need my pokemon back now."

"Would you also like Zoey's too?" she asked.

Both Ash and Dawn had overheard this conversation and now were getting curious.

"Hey Paul, why are you taking Zoey's pokemon?"

"Because she wants me too? Got a problem with that?"

Ash didn't know how to respond so he just shot him a glare while he glared at him back.

"Here are the pokemon Paul. They're all fully prepared for the upcoming rounds."

"Thank you Nurse Joy." Paul said while slightly bowing down.

He left without saying another word and quietly exited through the front doors.

"I wonder why he's taking Zoey's pokemon…" Dawn asked.

"Beats me. Why would Zoey want that jerk to take care of her pokemon…?" Ash replied.

Dawn took a moment to think everything through then found the answer. She smacked the bottom of her right fist down on her left palm before say, "I've got it!"

"Got what?" Ash asked, being the clueless person he was.

"Paul and Zoey are dating!" Dawn exclaimed.

This made Ash take a couple of steps back. "You've got to be kidding. Zoey and Paul?"

"Well, they do look like a good couple…" Dawn thought over.

"Then again, you might be right… Paul was cheering pretty loudly for Zoey back during the performance stages…"

"See! What did I tell you?" Dawn clasped her hands together. "Aw! They're just like us now!"

"Alright Dawn, I get the picture…" Ash said before walking off with his enlightened girlfriend.

. . .

Paul had returned to the campsite; unharmed this time. When he had arrived, he noticed Zoey cooking breakfast so he gently smiled before walking up to her. Zoey had noticed Paul and gave him a smile back.

"Hey Zoey. I got your pokemon back." He then handed her six pokeballs.

"Thanks Paul! I have your breakfast ready, just wait over there and I'll have mine and your breakfasts done in no time."

Paul decided he'd rest just for today. Although he should've been preparing for his own tournament, he decided to take it easy just for today.

As Zoey had said, she was already making her way over with two platefuls of scrambled eggs and bacon. _"Why can't we eat something different for a change…"_ Paul thought to himself. Zoey gave Paul his scrambled eggs and bacon while she sat down next to him to eat her breakfast. The breakfast had been a quite one. In fact, every meal they had was quite. Maybe it was because they didn't have anything to talk about or nothing interesting has really happened. Paul certainly didn't have any problems at all talking with Zoey but he didn't know what to exactly talk about. Before he knew it, Zoey was already done with her breakfast while Paul was struggling to catch up. He wanted to be done quickly to help Zoey clean up the dishes. After he was done, he caught up to her on the riverside and helped her by cleaning his dish. After some final minute preparations and packing, they decided to head back to town to continue on with Zoey's tournament…

. . .

"Ladies and gentlemen! We will now continue from where we left off yesterday! Today will determine the top 4 semi-finalists so without further ado, let's see who our competitors will be facing today!"

The pictures on the screen randomly on the bottom of the screen to determine who was up against who. When the pictures finally came to a stop, Zoey was found on the 3rd right hand side of the board.

"This won't be easy…" Zoey silently said to herself.

Paul reassured her by wrapping his arms around her.

"Hey, you don't need to worry. I'll be with you every step of the way."

Zoey smiled at him before giving him a brief hug.

"I'll see you after the tournament today." Zoey had said.

"I'll be cheering for you till then." Paul replied. They broke apart and Zoey went on to the coordinator's lounge.

. . .

**P.S. I won't be doing each individual match so I'm just going to skip to the end of the day's rounds.**

"And now the moment you've all been waiting for…" the MC said. "Here are our final four coordinators!"

On the screen popped four pictures, each appearing one by one: Jessilina, Ursula, Zoey and Dawn.

"Congratulations Zoey!" Paul said from behind her.

"I know! Thanks Paul for cheering me on back there."

"Come on." Paul took Zoey's hand. "Let's go to a restaurant to eat dinner; to celebrate your victory-at-hand." He smiled goofy but Zoey just laughed it out.

"Sure, let's go." They headed outside the main doors hand-in-hand.

. . .

Unlike at the hotel, Paul had made reservations at the restaurant so that they wouldn't have to wait 30 minutes outside at the main entrance for a table. When they sat down at their table, Zoey asked him a question.

"Paul? When did you reserve a restaurant?"

Paul smiled before he gave her his reply. "You see, during the mid-way intermission, I snuck outside the stadium so I could reserve a table for two here. I was confident enough that you'd win so I made the arrangements and here we are!" he said in an enthusiastic voice.

Zoey loved it. Not just Paul's personality tonight but also the restaurant that he had reserved. It wasn't very fancy but neither was it very poor. It was just the right place for her. It made her feel happy that Paul had taken that factor into consideration when he chose the place to eat.

"Thanks for bringing me here tonight Paul."

Paul took a tiny sip from his glass of water. He gave out a refreshing sigh before he responded.

"Hey, no problem. This is the least I can do for the things you've done for me."

Zoey blushed a little. _"Aw Paul! You're so sweet! To think you were a nasty person a couple of days ago would've never have described you now…"_ Zoey stopped her thought. She was right though; Paul had been a cruel jerk a couple of days ago and here he was; the most caring and lovable person in the world. Did she do this? Was she the one who changed him?

Before she finished her trail of thought, the waiter came to give them their meals. They both ordered spaghetti and it looked good. When Zoey had finished taking a sample, she commented on the spaghetti.

"Wow! This is really good! Did you know that they served food this great?"

Paul swallowed his bit of spaghetti before he gave her a reply. "N-no" he said in a surprised tone. "Truth is, I just judged the restaurant by its atmosphere. But I never imagined food tasting this good."

"Well, it's my first time eating food this good too." Zoey said while she ate another fork-full of spaghetti.

"Hey, I've got an idea. Let's come back to eat here again once you win the Grand Festival tomorrow."

"That is IF I win."

"Nah, I'm confident enough that you'll win by a landslide. And I'll be there, in the front row seats cheering for you."

"Aw! Thanks Paul!" she said while giving him a smile.

**. . . Change of POV . . .**

Paul himself was a little surprised by the way he had acted in the restaurant. He never imagined himself being that nice to anyone, but Zoey was an exception. _"She's kind, confident, caring… oh man, the list could go on…"_ Paul had excused himself to go pay the bill which he lied saying that he had to go to the washroom. He went up to the front desk to ask for the bill.

"Here you go sir." The person at the front desk handed him a tiny tray with a slip of paper on it.

"Thanks…" Paul said before he took a closer look at the sheet.

"_Holy shit, 85 dollars for two spaghettis? This place really is a rip off but Zoey seems to like it, that's the only real thing that matter the most."_ Paul took out a 10 ten dollar bills from his wallet and handed it to the confused person at the front desk.

"Sir, you might have miscalculated. The tip is already included in the bill."

"Wait, so if the tip is included, how much was the meal?"

"The meal was fifteen dollars sir. The tips and services were 70 dollars."

"_What kind of restaurant is this… You don't charge people 70 dollars for tip! IT'S 15 FUCKING PERCENT YOU DOUCH BAG!"_

"We charged the extra because of the competition that is going on here. Please don't think that we're retarded or slow."

"Uh, right. Give me the change."

The person handed Paul his 15 dollars.

"We would like it if you would kindly leave sir. For you see, we have customers here." He pointed to the line of people that were now waiting.

"Right… let me get my girlfriend and we'll leave."

"Of course sir. Have a nice evening."

"_Fuck you; asshole." _Paul silently thought.

**. . . Change of POV . . .**

. . .

They were outside right now. Zoey suggested that she and Paul take a 'scenic' route back to the campsite. The route she had suggested was right by the lakeshore of Lake Valour; the most romantic place she found for miles around. Zoey was hand-in-hand with Paul while walking down the route. She wanted to stop by a bench or some other kind of chair so that she could look over the moonlit lake with him. When she had found an empty bench to sit on with no one else around, she nudged Paul to indicate to him to sit with her. They were now sitting side by side, cuddling each other like girlfriend and boyfriend would. Zoey decided to enjoy the feeling for a while before they'd leave but neither of them were moving. It was evident that both were enjoying the moment very much. Zoey opened her eyes when she felt Paul moving her closer to him. Of course, she didn't mind but she wanted more. Zoey looked up at him and he looked at her in return. They both knew what to do; kiss each other but this time, Zoey decided to conduct a little experiment… She moved her tongue into his mouth and caught Paul by surprise and he did what she had last expected him to do; he bit her tongue. Zoey squealed in pain and quickly pulled away from him turning her back towards him. Her tongue was in pain but so was Paul for hurting her. No, she couldn't do that. Not after what he had done for her. She quickly spun around and kissed him again only this time, he inserted his tongue into her mouth. Zoey was surprised this time but she didn't bite him. Instead, she allowed him to explore the inside of her mouth.

**. . . Change of POV . . .**

Paul was REALLY surprised by the French kiss. This was his first time and he felt really bad for hurting Zoey, but at least she forgave him. Zoey gave out a pleasurable mourn when Paul had inserted his tongue which made him happy. He moved his tongue in all directions inside of Zoey's mouth but Zoey herself was itching to get inside of Paul. He withdrew from her month and almost instantly Zoey's tongue entered his. Zoey explored the contents of Paul's mouth curiously. Both of them had their eyes closed but used their imaginations to determine what the other's mouth had looked like. Both were running out of air so they pulled apart breathing heavily but also blushing. When they had caught their breaths, Zoey cuddled Paul again and he moved his arm around her.

"Ow…" Paul dropped his injured arm which he was using to wrap around Zoey.

Zoey noticed this and placed his injured arm where it was before he had lifted it.

"Don't hurt yourself Paul. I already know you care for me; a lot."

Paul just smiled and rested his chin on Zoey's head.

"_Wow… her bright red hair feels so soft…" _Paul dug his face a little more into her hair. Unknowingly, they both fell asleep on the bench; cuddling each other.

**Wow, that was the longest chapter I've ever wrote. Might be a while till I update the next chapter but that one will conclude the Grand Festival Sega. As a side note, hardly anyone is reading my story so I'm planning end this one abruptly (sorry for the people who actually follow with me) but I'll promise to make the ending as conclusive as possible. **


	15. Chapter 15

**This chapter will conclude the Grand Festival Arc.**

Zoey had woken up somewhat early in the morning and found Paul resting his head on hers. Unknowingly, she moved her head away and Paul woke up.

"Oh… sorry to wake you up Paul…" Zoey apologized.

"...? Oh Zoey! Hehe… sorry for sleeping on your head… Your hair felt really soft, I liked that."

Zoey blushed at the compliment before turning to her Poketech.

"What time is it?" Paul asked.

"Time for you to get a Poketech!" Zoey replied jokingly. Paul's sweat dropped.

"Haha… very funny. But really, what time is it?"

"Meh, we still have 4 hours before the contests start Paul. Let's get some more sleep…" Zoey then placed her head back on Paul's shoulder.

"Maybe you're right... WAIT! HOW COULD I'VE FORGOTTEN THAT!" Paul screamed out making Zoey wake up instantly. Instead of getting mad at him, she became worried.

"Forgot what Paul?" Zoey questioned.

"To heal your pokemon! Come on! We have to get to the Pokemon Center!" he grabbed Zoey's hand and pulled her off the bench dragging her along all the way back to the Pokemon Center.

. . 2 Hours Later . .

"Here you go Zoey, your pokemon are all in top condition for today's final rounds." Nurse Joy had said.

"Wow, thanks Nurse Joy! I never imagined you'd get them healed so quickly!"

"Actually, you cut in line of the pokemon waiting but the trainers all allowed you to do so. After all, you're the one who's going to be competing at the final rounds."

"Whew, what a relief. Nurse Joy, could you thank the people on my behalf?" Zoey asked.

"Of course Zoey. I'm assuming you'll be booked today. Good luck with your match today!" and with that, Nurse Joy waved at Zoey as she slowly started to walk towards the cafeteria.

**. . . Change of POV . . .**

Paul was worried; worried that Zoey couldn't get the pokemon in time.

"It's my damn fault…" Paul said to himself outloud.

"Hey Paul!" Zoey greeted.

"Huh? Zoey? Did you get your pokemon back already?"

"Yep! The people ahead of me said that it was okay for me to go first. So, what's for breakfast?"

"Uhh… Oh right! Chansey is coming with our breakfast. Just the center's usual: toast and boiled eggs with cereals."

"Oh goodie! Something new for a change! Can't wait for my breakfast!"

"_You also won't be able to wait for your dinner…"_

Zoey looked at Paul's expression.

"Huh? You okay Paul?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine."

"Good, cause here comes our breakfast now!"

"Oh goodie…"

. . 2 Hours Later . .

It was Zoey's turn now. Dawn and Ursula had a fierce match but in the end, Dawn was the victor. It was a really close match but Dawn and her team of Cyndaquil and Mamoswine managed to beat Ursula's team of Gabite and Flareon. Now, Zoey was up against Jessilina; but Zoey was confident, confident enough to win, confident enough to win the entire tournament, confident enough to win for Paul.

"And now we have our other two competitors! Please give a round of applause for Zoey!"

Zoey entered the stadium and what she saw was similar to what she saw the first time she came up on stage, expect this time the noise from the crowd was much louder.

"And please also give a round of applause for her opponent, Jessilina!"

Jessilina stepped onto the stage and waved her hand furiously at the crowd.

"Now, the same rules from the previous matches will apply. Both trainers, please send out your pokemon!"

"Go! Yanmega and Carnivine!" Jessilina threw two pokeball in the air and out came the two pokemon she had called out.

"CARNIVINE!"

"Yanm-Yanm!"

"My turn, go Gallade and Leafeon!" Zoey in turn threw her two pokeball in the air.

"Leaf-eon!"

"GALL-ADE!"

"Now without any further ado, let's begin!"

"Yanmega, Sonic boom! Carnivine, bullet seed!" The two fired their attacks.

"Gallade, Leafeon, Magical Leaf!" Zoey yelled. Both in turn fired their attacks.

The two attacks from both sides collided with each other and caused a big explosion at the center of the arena. Both sides points were lowered by somewhat 10%.

"Leafeon! Follow it up with Leaf Blade! Galade, Vacuum Wave on both of them after the attack lands!"

Leafeon used Leaf Blade on both the pokemon but both received little damage. But when the Vacuum wave made its mark, they both went flying backwards; barely inches away from Jessilina.

"Come on! Get up!" Jessilina yelled.

Carivine and Yanmega both managed to get back up.

"We're going to have to finish this quickly. Leafeon, use energy ball! Gallade! Use psychic to control the energy ball and blast it at them!"

Both did as they were told and the energy ball along with the psychic both made direct hits. Carivine and Yanmega were both out of the match with Zoey having lost only 10% of her points.

All the judges on the panels gave their "X" and the match was declared over.

"And the winners are Zoey and her team!"

The crowd roared loudly while Jessilina was over by her pokemon and crying in shame. Zoey congratulated her pokemon and made her way back to the reception lobby to find Paul.

. . .

Zoey was at the lobby but couldn't find Paul. She was searching everywhere but didn't find him. Instead, someone else had found her.

"Hey Zoey!" a familiar voice cried.

"Oh, hi Dawn. How are ya'?"

"Not bad, I see you made it to the finals. I'll be looking forward to our match."

"Me too. I'll see you in a couple of hours for the final match. I know you'll be there." Zoey then waved goodbye before searching for Paul again.

. . .

It was 1 PM, and still no sign of Paul. Her match was due in 2 hours and she really needed Paul's support.

"_Oh Paul… where are you when I need to the most…"_

"Hey, Zoey!" another familiar voice cried out.

"Oh, hey Ash…" Zoey said with a disappointed tone.

"If you're looking for Paul, he's down by the coordinator's lounge looking for you." Ash replied with a smirk.

"Wait, but how did yo-"

"Well, I gotta go meet up with Dawn and Brock, see ya' later!" Ash ran off waving.

"Bye Ash… And THANKS!" Zoey replied with a sudden optimistic tone. She ran full speed past the other trainers and coordinators to the lounge. When she had gotten there, she found Paul sitting on a seat with a disappointed look.

"Nice to see you here Paul!" Zoey said in a cheerful tone.

"Huh? Oh Zoey!" he ran up to her and hugged her. The hug was very unexpected but she had hugged him back.

"Congratulations on the match Zoey. Now I know you'll win for sure."

"Thanks Paul. I think I saw you in the back row, was something wrong?"

"Oh…" Paul's face flushed. "I couldn't find a seat up at the front so I had to go all the back to even get a seat. Sorry if you didn't hear me." Paul swung his head down in shame.

"Don't worry about it Paul. As long as you're watching me, that's all the comfort I'll ever need." Zoey hugged Paul a little tighter. The people around them were watching curiously now. Paul and Zoey broke their embrace and blushed heavily.

"Come on, let's take this outside." Paul suggested. Zoey extended her hand to grab Paul's and walked out of the front door; once again hand in hand.

. . 1 and a half hours later . .

Zoey was getting very nervous now. 30 minutes from now, she would step onto the arena and face Dawn. It wasn't Dawn that made her nervous, it was the thought of losing, the thought of disappointing everyone, the thought of disappointing Paul…

"Hey Zoey…" Paul appeared behind her almost startling her. "Oops, sorry if I made you jump."

"No problem, hey Paul?" Zoey asked.

"Hmm? What's up?"

"Are you going to be disappointed if I-"

"Of course not! You tried your best and that's all that counts. A couple of days ago, winning would've been my only motive but now, just doing your best is all that matters for me." Paul gave Zoey one last hug.

"Remember, I'll always be there for you. Whenever you need me."

Zoey hugged him back. "Thanks Paul…"

Paul smiled. "Now, go out there and give me something to brag about once Ash and the others find out we're a couple!"

"I already did." Someone said from behind him. Paul instantly spun around.

"Ash? You did!"

"Hey, no need to worry; oops, guess I shouldn't be the one to say that."

Out of the corner, Dawn appeared with her contest dress on.

"Hey Dawn!" Zoey greeted.

"Hi Zoey! Hi Paul!"

"Hi…" Paul replied in a quiet tone.

"So is it true? Are you guys a couple?" Dawn asked.

"…Oh alright… It's true. Paul and I have been a couple for a few days now."

Dawn squealed in excitement. "Oh my Goss! I can't believe it! Paul and Zoey are boyfriend and girlfriend!" Paul and Zoey both blushed.

"Well, is it true that Ash and you are going steady as well?" Zoey asked.

Dawn's excitement instantly halted. An awkward silence took place before Ash gave her the reply.

"…Yeah, but how did you figure it out?" Ash asked.

"Heh heh… to tell to truth, I saw you guys kissing back in the regional park forest. I was shocked at first but then glad I wasn't the only one of my friends doing it."

"Well, then that's that. The cat's out of the bag." Ash said.

"You're not going to tell anyone about our relationship though right?" Zoey asked.

Ash and Dawn both laughed at this. "You can trust us to be deceit about your relationships but it would be nice if you could keep ours as a secret too. Anyways, good luck out there. I'm going to find a seat before they're all taken." And with that Ash left the coordinator's lounge.

"Paul, you better go too if you want to find yourself a seat." Zoey suggested.

"Alright, see you after the match." Paul gave Zoey a quick peck before he left.

"Wow, he's so romantic. Ash could learn a lot from him."

"I know! He took me out to dinner yesterday and-"

"WAIT!" Dawn stopped her. "HE TOOK YOU OUT TO DINNER YESTERDAY!"

"Well, yeah. That's what couples do right? And it was so GOOD! The atmosphere, the food and…"

"Grr… after this match-up whether I win or lose, I'm going to make that Ash Ketchum take me out to someplace to eat!"

Zoey giggled at this.

"I always knew Ash was dense but you two going steady was the last thing I would've expected."

The PA system cracked to life. "Would the two finalists please report to their designated spots for the final match which will begin in 10 minutes."

"Well, better get going. Best of luck to you Dawn."

"You too, Zoey."

. . .

"And welcome back for our final match! I know you fans out there are all excited to see this match so let's get to it right away!" The crowd roared madly. Among the front row seats were Paul, Brock, and Ash. They were all seating side by side but none of them had reasoned against it. They were all dying to see this match.

"Our two contestants, please come on out!"

Zoey came out from one side of the arena while Dawn appeared at the other.

"Yeah! Go Dawn!" Ash yelled. Dawn looked over to where Ash was and waved at him.

Paul didn't want to look bad in front of Ash so he just waved at Zoey who smiled and waved back at him. The crowd continued to roar wildly while the two coordinators were taking their places.

"Now for our final match, both coordinators will use only one pokemon each. Please send out your pokemon!"

"Piplup, spotlight!" Dawn threw her pokeball into the air and out came her Piplup alongside a bunch of bubbles.

"My turn, go Glameow!" Zoey threw her pink-ball capsuled pokeball into the air and Glameow came out. The pink ball capsule made more hearts appear than its blue-purple counterpart which made the crowd more appeased.

"Gla-MEOW!"

"PIPLUP!" Piplup said proudly.

"Now, let's… BEGIN!"

"Glameow, Shadow Claw!"

"Piplup, Peck!"

Both pokemon performed their attacks and both collided at intense speeds making debris fly all over the place. Both coordinator's point went down slightly. When the debris cleared up, both pokemon were found barely harmed.

"Piplup, whirlpool!" Piplup mounted a big whirlpool.

"Glameow, thunderbolt on the whirlpool now!"

Glameow did as it was told and the thunderbolt mixed with the whirlpool made it collapse which resulted in Dawn losing more points.

"Oh no! Piplup!"

Piplup acted as if it took no damage at all and stood back up proudly.

"PIPLUP!"

**. . . Change of POV . . .**

Dawn was getting more nervous now. She couldn't think of what to do next. _"Come on Dawn… Think…"_

"Try your best Dawn! You can do it!" Ash yelled.

Although the crowd was mainly staring at Ash now, Dawn had regained her confidence. _"Right, I gotta give it my best shot. Thanks Ash."_

"Piplup! GO!"

"PIP…. LUP!" Piplup then released a huge blast of water aiming it at Glameow. It had landed a direct hit causing Glameow to fly backwards and land hard on the floor.

"Is that…?" Ash inquired.

"That's Hydro Pump!" Brock concluded for him.

"Piplup… but how?" Dawn asked.

"Pip, lup!" Piplup then pointed to himself in a proud manner which made Dawn's sweat drop.

"Heh heh… I guess I never should've doubted you Piplup."

**. . . Change of POV . . .**

Zoey was awe-stricken. Her points were now down almost half-way and Dawn's were still 3 quarters filled.

"_Man, we have to turn this around…"_

"Piplup! Bide!"

"Glameow quick, Shock Wave!"

Glameow unleashed a strong voltage of lightning while Piplup readied for its assult. Just before the Shock Wave reached its mark, Piplup released the energy that it had been storing and fired it at Glameow; destroying the Shock Wave in the process. Again, the attack made its mark and hit Glameow directly, throwing it completely backwards almost to the edge of the battlefield.

"Glameow!"

"Gla…" Glameow stood up but it was obvious that it had taken quite a lot of damage.

"_Ugh… at this rate…" _She paused for a moment to look at where Paul was. He was watching her attentively and when their eyes met, he gave her a smile. It was as if he was saying, _"Whatever the outcome is, I'll always be proud to have you as my girlfriend."_

"_Actions do speak louder than words…" _Zoey thought to herself.

It was her turn now. She had to toughen up if she wanted to win this. She was down to 3 minutes and Dawn had about 15% more points than her.

"_Time to change that._ Glameow, get close to Piplup!" Dawn and Glameow were both surprised by the order but they both followed along with it. Glameow approached Piplup at a rapid pace but Piplup didn't move a muscle.

"Piplup! Peck!"

"Glameow! Fury Swipe!"

Both pokemon did as they were told but in the end, Glameow had the upper hand and knocked Piplup backwards.

"Follow it up with Thunderbolt!"

"Piplup! Counter with Bubblebeam!"

Both pokemon again did as they were told and when the attacks collided, a huge dust cloud lifted where the attacks met. When the debris cleared up, the two pokemon were displayed; both looking fierce to end the battle.

"Piplup!"

"Glameow!"

"Finish it with Peck!"

"End it with Shadow Claw!"

Both pokemon launched at each other at full speed performing their attacks. Again, when they collided in the middle, an enormous explosion occurred making both trainers cover their eyes. When the smoke and dust settled, there was only one pokemon standing…

**Normally, if I hadn't promised to finish all this in one chapter, I would've ended it by now. But other than that, let's find out who won… XD**

…Glameow.

All three judges gave Dawn's Piplup a 'X' and the battle was declared over.

"And this year's top coordinator is… Zoey!" the crowd roared wildly while Zoey ran over to her Glameow to give it a hug.

"Thanks buddy. I owe it all to you."

"Gla-meow…"

Dawn ran over to her Piplup to return the favour.

"Great job Piplup! I'm so proud of you!"

"Pip-lup…" it said before Dawn returned it to its ball.

"Take a good rest."

. . .

"And now, Mr. Contesta will give Zoey the Ribbon Cup for winning this year's Grand Festival. Congratulations!"

Mr. Contesta handed Zoey the Ribbon Cup which she gladly accepted. Paul came out from the crowd and in front of her to take a picture.

"Hey Paul, let me take a picture with both of you in it." Ash suggested.

"Um, sure… Thanks…" Paul gave the camera to Ash before running over next to Zoey.

"Alright! Smile!"

Ash then took the photo which hand both Paul and Zoey holding the Ribbon Cup; smiling.

. . .

"So, where are you going Ash?"

"I'm heading back to Sunnyshore City to have my match with Volkner. And you?"

"Zoey and I are both heading towards Snowpoint City to celebrate her victory here."

"You know, I'm glad you met Zoey. You seem like a completely new person now." Dawn said.

"Not only that, but you're really friendly and not to mention kind too."

"Thanks, to the both of you. I guess I'll see you at the Sinnoh Conference then."

"No, you'll see me at the final round facing you." Everyone laughed at this.

"Well, whenever it may be, we'll see you later."

"Bye!"

Both Paul and Zoey headed off in the direction of Snowpoint City while waving back at their friends. Ash and Dawn both waved back at them **and that concludes our story with Paul and Zoey.**


End file.
